Urban downtowns are sometimes called concrete jungles because the apartments and office buildings that make up skylines from New York to Vancouver are generally made of — what else? — concrete. But that could change with a push underway to build more tall buildings with another material: mass timber. Mass timber is an umbrella category of materials made by binding layers of wood together to create larger, stronger elements like panels and beams.

Proponents say it's faster and easier to build with than concrete and steel, and less carbon-intensive to boot. If concrete and steel are the Coke and Pepsi of highrise construction, mass timber has so far been more of a generic-brand cola. Mass timber made up just one per cent of all building construction materials in North America in 2022, according to an RBC report .

But analysts expect the market to rapidly expand in the years ahead, and all across the country, existing mass-timber plants are being expanded and new ones are in the works, from B.C. and Alberta to Ontario and Nova Scotia .

WATCH | Will mass timber mean more homes in Canada's biggest city? Mass timber construction is on the rise. Could it help the housing crisis? 5 months ago Duration 5:23 There’s been an increase in large-scale building projects using mass timber, otherwise known as engineered wood. Experts say the material offers several benefits compared to steel and concrete — including sustainability and speed.

Talia Ricci explores whether it could be pa.